Feverfew

Feverfew (tanacetum parthenium) is an aromatic perennial with yellow-green divided leaves. It is indigenous to southeastern Europe and transplanted to North America and Australia.

The common name “feverfew” is a corruption of the medical herbology term “febrifuge,” generally applied to plants that have the property of reducing the intensity of a fever. It has been used for reducing fevers and other inflammatory conditions since antiquity. Today, it is used primarily for migraine headache prevention, and to relieve fever and inflammation.

Clinical Applications

• Migraine headache
  • "Feverfew taken prophylactically prevents attacks of migraine."
  • Has demonstrated in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials a reduction in the mean number and severity of migraine attacks and in the degree of vomiting; duration of individual attacks was unaltered. There were no serious side-effects.
  • Found to be beneficial in migraine prophylaxis as an additive drug during long-term clinical studies in migraine clinics.
• Fever and Inflammation
  • Feverfew may be of benefit due to its inhibiting effect on the production of pro-inflammatory by-products of arachidonic acid.
  • Prefer high quality extracts providing the broad spectrum of lactones and flavonoids indigenous to this plant.

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How Feverfew Works

• Inhibits cellular phospholipases, which prevents release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes for the production of inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes.
• "Inhibits uptake as well as liberation of arachidonic acid (AA) into/from platelet membrane phospholipids (PL)."
• Flavonol and flavone methyl ethers inhibit the major pathways of arachidonate metabolism in leukocytes in vitro.
• The flavonoid tanetin could contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties of feverfew by inhibiting the generation of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.
• Inhibits both cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase metabolic products in vitro.
• "Contains a complex mixture of sesquiterpene lactone and non-sesquiterpene lactone inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis of high potency." "These biochemical actions may be relevant to the claimed therapeutic actions of the herb."
• Displays antithrombotic potential in addition to its claimed benefit in fever, migraine and arthritis. Inhibits induction of human platelet aggregation by ADP, collagen, and thrombin in vitro.
• Inhibits secretory activity in blood platelets and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Consistently inhibits platelet aggregation but not thromboxane synthesis. "The pattern of the effects of the feverfew extracts on platelets is different from that obtained with other inhibitors of platelet aggregation and the effect on PMNs is more pronounced than has been obtained with very high concentrations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents."
  • Sesquiterpene lactones, which al contain alpha-methylene butyrolactone units, have the effect of inhibiting secretion of granules of serotonin and other compounds from platelets and neutrophils that contribute to the vascular pathosis of migraine.
  • Dramatically reduces the number of acid-soluble sulphydryl groups in platelets in vitro at concentrations similar to those that inhibit platelet secretory activity. Feverfew itself does not induce the formation of disulphide-linked protein polymers in platelets but polymer formation occurs when aggregating agents are added to feverfew-treated platelets.
• Extracts inhibit anti-IgE-induced histamine release from mast cells in vitro.

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Dosage

Recommended dosage is 120-240 mg 2-4 times day as an anti-inflammatory. For migraine prophylaxis, allow sufficient feverfew extract to provide 0.25-0.5 mg of parthenolide, taken twice daily.

Feverfew Side Effects and Drug Interactions

• Acts as a potent inhibitor of aortic smooth muscle phospholipase(s) A2 in lab animal tissue.
• Extracts of fresh leaves cause inhibition of contraction of aortic rings from lab animals. The inhibitory effects are due to presence of -SH reactive parthenolide and other sesquiterpene alphamethylenebutyrolactones in these extracts. Extracts of dried powdered leaves are not inhibitory but themselves elicited potent and sustained contractions of aortic smooth muscle, probably because they do not contain parthenolide or butyrolactones according to a chemical-HPLC assay, "There are marked differences in the pharmacological potency and profiles between preparations from fresh and dried feverfew"; "this may relate to their lactone content."
• Do not use during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
• May interact with anti-coagulant, thrombolytic agents due to its effects on platelet aggregation.
• Aphthous ulcers may result from chewing feverfew leaves.
• Allergic dermatitis on contact with leaves, in some sensitive patients.
• GI irritation, abdominal pain, and heartburn have been reported.
• Rebound feverfew syndrome in 10% of patients who stopped taking it abruptly:
  • Rebound headaches, insomnia, muscle stiffness, arthralgia, fatigue, nervousness, tension.

To order feverfew by phone, please call toll-free 877-347-8600.